In brief

• Kraków's mayor Łukasz Gibała plans to propose withdrawing the city from several organisations and city networks.
• Among them are Eurocities and the Association of Healthy Cities of Poland.
• The mayor estimates the move would save about PLN 8.2 million a year.
• The plan requires approval by the Kraków City Council.

Plan to leave city networks

Mayor Łukasz Gibała has announced that he intends to submit to the Kraków City Council a draft resolution for the city to withdraw from a series of organisations, associations and city unions. He said the move is aimed at finding further savings in the city budget. He announced the plan on Facebook. (Łukasz Gibała tnie kolejne wydatki. Kraków wystąpi ze znanych organizacji – portalsamorzadowy.pl) (Łukasz Gibała idzie jak burza. Chce wyprowadzić Kraków z licznych organizacji – RMF24) (Łukasz Gibała szuka oszczędności. Kraków chce wystąpić z organizacji i stowarzyszeń | LoveKraków.pl – lovekrakow.pl)

Which organisations are affected

Among the bodies named are Eurocities, a network of large European cities dealing with transport, climate, digital issues and social integration, and the Association of Healthy Cities of Poland. The list also includes the League of Historic Cities and the Organisation of World Heritage Cities, which focus on protecting historical heritage.

Cost and savings

According to the mayor, leaving these bodies would save roughly PLN 8.2 million a year. He argues that membership means regularly paying fees, while the benefits for residents are not always clear. He also points out that some of the activities carried out by these organisations overlap with tasks already handled by municipal units.

What happens next

The proposal still has to be approved by the City Council, which would vote on the withdrawal resolution. Until then, Kraków remains a member of the organisations listed.